Zach's POV of Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy
by Roza Zammie Goode
Summary: Bascically Zach's version of what happened in Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy. I suck at summaries but it's really good, trust me. Major Zammie! Please R&R Rated T becasue I'm paranoid
1. Chapter 1

**Diclaimer: I don't own any of the characters they all belong to the awesome Ally Carter!**

**And basically this is Cross Your Heart and Hope to Spy in Zach's POV, starting from chapter 7 in the original book. I hope you enjoy! I'll update as soon as possible. And please Review!**

Chapter 1

I arrived at Blackthorne when I was nine. My dad had gone MIA and my mom, well I didn't like to talk about her. The only other adult I had in my life was Joe Solomon, but he wasn't my dad and we weren't blood-related.

Joe Solomon is the best spy I know. He'd known my dad and mom, and become like a surrogate uncle. He was the one who enrolled me at Blackthorne. He was an alumni and vouched for me. Blackthorne isn't a normal boarding school either; it's a school for spies.

I'm one of the best spies my age, if not the best. I'd been learning and training since I was three, and had a natural talent for it. I was a spy legacy but that never really mattered to me. All I care about is being the best, which I am.

I was sitting in my room with my roommates Grant and Jonas when Dr. Steve, one of the school's crazier teachers popped his head in. "Time to get moving boys."

"What do you mean?" all three of asked simultaneously.

"CoveOps. Pop quiz."

Okay when Dr. Steve uttered the words 'pop quiz' I got extremely excited. Seriously, the only thing that kept me from jumping up and down like a five year on Christmas morning was my reputation. My excitement almost over took me when Dr. Steve led us to the helipad a top the main building. At Blackthorne, well once you're in you don't really get out. Maybe once a year, but other then that you're fenced in. So the fact we'd actually get to fly somewhere had me on cloud nine.

Beside my roommates and myself there were nine other juniors on the helipad; all from my Coveops class. I quickly glanced around to see if I'd somehow missed where our Coveops teacher Mr. Stein was (even though it was highly unlikely I would have), but he wasn't there.

"Where's Mr. Stein?" Grant asked, reading my mind.

"He's occupied with another class. It's just us today boys." Great, a day with Mr. Steve. There went my excitement…

"Where are we going?" Jonas asked eyeing the helicopter that had just arrived nervously. The boy was always nervous.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Dr. Steve smiled, before climbing aboard our ride.

We were forced to where blindfolds when we all got in the helicopter. The ride was 83 minutes and 15 seconds exactly. When we touched down, we were all forced into what I assumed to be a very large van. The car ride was another 22 minutes and 54 four seconds. When we finally arrived we were told we could take our blindfolds off. I kicked Grant who appeared to have fallen asleep; that dude could sleep anywhere!

"Alright boys, your mission today is to tail these girls." Suddenly Dr. Steve was pushing envelopes at all of us. I opened mine to find a picture of a dirty blond girl with blue green eyes. There was also a small sheet of paper with a few facts like her name, age, height, and eye color. I stared at the picture for a couple of seconds. Whoever this girl was she was cute. Really cute.

"We're tailing high school girls?" Jonas asked confused. I couldn't blame him, I was just as confused. After all, this was way below our skill level.

"These aren't just regular girls," Dr. Steve said, "These girls attend Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women."

"So?" Grant said.

"So, Mr. Newman, Gallagher Academy has to this day been a girl for spies."

I'm pretty sure at that point every guys jaw dropped. There was a school for girl's spies! Really, how was it possible I didn't know this? After all, I'd been doing the spy thing since I was potty trained, Jonas had one of he highest IQ's in the world, and Grant, well Grant could charm information out of anyone. The three of us, my roommates and me should have known this!

I looked back down at the picture of the Gallagher girl in anger. "So what we just follow them?" I asked.

There suppose to meet their teacher at 5 o'clock pm. You job is to make sure they don't make it…tail free."

I smirked. Even if I'd been momentarily stunned by the fact there was a school for spy girls I knew there was no way they could beat us. Exceptional or not. Grant proceeded to throw the van door opens and step out. "Cool we're at the Mall," he said.

"Perfect," I said, "They'll be so busy fawning over clothes and purses that they'll never know we're there."

"Uh, Zach, it's not that kind of Mall." Grant said. I got out of the van and looked around.

"Cool, we're in D.C."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, so I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, finals are next week and life has been so hectic. Anyway this is Chapter 2! So exciting. I had so much fun writing it and i hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Ally Carter owns all, not me :( Though i wish i did! **

Chapter 2

The girl Jonas was suppose to tail was named Anna Fetterman and she had gone off in a different direction then the girl's Grant and I were suppose to tail so we had to split up. Cameron, my target, and Grant's girl whose file said her name was Rebecca stuck together which made it easier for Grant it I. It also made it more convenient.

The more I followed the Gallagher girl, the more I found myself awestruck. The girl was a natural pavement artist. The only way I was able to keep my eye on her due to the fact she was always with her friend. And even then I lost her a few times. I had to admit, this girl was GOOD. Almost as good as me.

It had been four hours and the girl's meeting was rapidly approaching. At the moment, Grant and I were slouched on a bench trying to act like normal teenage boys. Our targets were a little ways away from us, yet completely oblivious to our presence.

My eyes were drawn to Cameron, my Gallagher girl. _Woah! _I thought to myself, I just called her MY Gallagher girl. My possessiveness surprised me. My thoughts were cut short though when Grant smacked my chest to get my attention. I looked up and Grant nodded to the two girls. Grant's exotic beauty (that was what he was calling Rebecca) was twirling around like a carefree girl we both knew she wasn't. I noticed Grant's eyes glaze over as he watched her every move. I was surprised he didn't start drooling.

The dark haired beauty wasn't the one who held my attention, it was her friend Cameron. She had a serious look on her face while she watched her friend goof off. She was serious about her mission which I found attractive. _Woah! _I thought again, did I just think she was attractive? I was shocked yet I couldn't deny it. Her dirty blond hair that casaceded down her back had me urging to run my fingers through it, and her piercing blue green eyes had me mesmerized. I suddenly really wanted to talk to her, no cover, no lies, just me and Zach talking to her Cameron but my mission stopped me. I never failed a mission and I wasn't about to start.

It was then I noticed her friend had stopped twirling and they were talking. At Blackthorne we'd covered lip reading freshman year, so I was a pro. It really wasn't hard to figure out what they were saying.

"Ooh, I want one," her friend Rebecca said motioning toward us. I froze, worried our covers were blown.

"They're not puppies," my Gallagher girl said, keeping her serious expression.

"Come on," her friend urged, grabbing her hand. "Let's go talk to them. They're really cute!"

I could tell Grant was watching their conversation as well because he suddenly grinned like an idiot when the girl called us cute. It had no effect on me though, I knew I looked good.

"Bex, we have a mission," my Gallagher girl said. So Rebecca's nickname was Bex. A good thing to know for later.

"Yeah, but we can multitask," Bex said. I agreed with her. I really wanted my Gallagher girl to come over.

"No Bex. Talking to civilian boys during a CoveOps exercise is a bad idea. Trust me." Cameron smiled but I could tell it was forced. "It's all fun an games until someone gets their memory erased."

_Damn_, I thought. What is this girl talking about? Who was getting their memory erased?

"Wow," Bex said, her carefree attitude suddenly dropping. "You're really-"

"What?" Cammie asked before Bex could finish. "I'm really what?"

"Not over Josh." Bex said.

_Who the hell is Josh! _I thought scanning the crowd thought I was pretty sure the boy in question wasn't here in D.C.

"Of course I'm over him. I'm the one who broke up with him remember?" she shrugged but I wasn't fooled. Her face gave her away. I wanted to get up off the bench and go over to her and comfort her, but I couldn't. Not only that I shouldn't. This girl, for all intents and purposes was suppose to be my "enemy." And you never start to feel something for the enemy.

But did I feel something for my Gallagher girl? I wasn't sure. I'd never interacted with girls before; well not since I was nine and I was too young at that point to really have anything to go on. But the way my heart faltered when I looked at that girl, well I knew I was in danger.

"You don't have to pretend Cam." Bex said. They began to move, so after a few second so did me and Grant. Bex had called her Cam, which was no doubt short for Cameron; I liked it.

"Cam," I whispered, wishing I could call out to her.

Then I heard her mutter, "Of course I'm over him."

Grant and I continued walking until the two girls stopped suddenly. I followed their gaze to a women in a beige suit. There was nothing extremely interesting about her, except for the fact she'd been trailing the girls since they'd arrived.

The thing about detecting and losing a tail: to do it right – I mean really right – you'd need to cover half a city. You'd climb in and out of cabs and trains an walk against the grain on at least a dozen busy sidewalks. You'd take all day. But Mr. Solomon hadn't given them all day, and that was kind of the point.

The girls did the best they could with the time they had. They got in and out of cabs and went up and down escalators, all the while Grant and I followed them like ghosts. At one point we'd thought we'd lost them but Grant found Bex and true to form, my Gallagher girl was right along side her.

We were coming up on a Metro station when all four of us spotted a group of girls dressed in uniforms similar to the Gallagher ones. I saw Cam gush over something one of the girls was wearing. She looked like she belonged in that group, and if I wasn't training all my attention on her, I'm sure I would have lost her in the crowd.

One of the girls said something to Cam and Bex which made them turn around and look in our direction. All I could hear was the sound of laughing and giggling, which led me to assume these girls thought of us as normal good looking high school boys. Not spies.

The girls made it to the platform where there was already a train waiting. There was another tail on the girls who they made or I assume they had. He went to make a move and ended up on the train when the door closed, speeding in the other direction, his face pressed up against the glass.

I didn't think the girls were there anymore until I saw Cam's familiar mop of dirty blond hair heading toward the elevator. Bex had gone off in another direction so Grant followed, leaving me alone to hunt Cam. She was bouncing up and down near the elevator like she was nervous, but there was a look of confidence on her face. She thought she was going to make it; complete her mission.

Guess again Gallagher girl.

**Hey so i hope you guys enjoyed this! New chapter, hopefully tomorrow or in two days! Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

My hand reached out and hit the elevator button before hers could. I could tell she was surprised but she seemed recognize me from earlier with her friend. I decided it was time to approach this girl, figuring my cover was safe.

"Hey," I said, giving her one of those half head nods normal boys seemed to give.

"Hi." She said before frantically pushing the button again, probably in hopes the elevator would come faster. I found it kind of endearing which in turn made me mentally smack myself. There was no way I could find the girl cute or endearing.

The elevator doors opened and I saw Cam tense when she realized I'd followed her in. I leaned against the hand rail and waited for her to say something. After a few I realized she wasn't, so I figured I'd break the ice.

"So," I said, pointing at the crest on her coat. "The Guggenheim Academy-"

"Gallagher Academy," she corrected.

"I've never heard of it," I told her, which was half true. I hadn't heard of it – until this morning.

"Well it's my school," she responded, sounding slightly annoyed. I had to suppress my laughter. I didn't care anymore, whether or not it was against the rules to find this girl cute because she was. And the annoyed expression on her face was adorable.

"Are you in a hurry or something?" I asked her, figuring I could get more information out of her if I kept her talking. That and I wanted to know what she was thinking. Which, was really quite stupid of me.

"Actually I'm suppose to meet my teacher at the ruby slipper exhibit. I've only got twenty minutes and if I'm late, he'll kill me." That was the longest I'd ever heard the girl speak. But, she'd made one mistake.

"How do you know?"

"Because he told me 'Meet me at the ruby slipper exhibit.'" She told me.

"No," I said smiling, shaking my head. "How do you know you only have twenty minutes? You're not wearing a watch."

"My friend just told me." The lie she told was smooth, and if I'd been anyone else she'd probably would have gotten away with it. But I was everyone else. I was Zachary Goode. I was a spy.

"You fidget a lot." I told her after a couple seconds of silence. I didn't really need to talk to her anymore considering she'd already told me when and where she was going which was pretty stupid on her part. But, there was something about her that made me want to talk to her.

"I'm sorry," she said, like her fidgeting had upset me in some way. "I have low blood sugar. I need something to eat."

I knew that what she'd just told me was probably a lie, but a chivalrous part of me that I didn't know was there offered up the rest of the M&M's I had in my pocket. They were something I'd picked up earlier in the day while Grant and I had been tailing the girls.

"Here," I said, "I ate most of them already." Then I felt guilty I didn't have more to offer to her.

"Oh…um…" she hesitated, probably thinking about that age old rule that said not to take candy from strangers. "That's okay. Thanks though."

"Oh," I said, shoving the candy back in my pocket. "Okay."

Just then the elevator doors opened and Cam darted out. In the ten minutes we'd been in the metro station the sky had darkened. And in the few hours I'd spent around her I knew she was unlike any other girl I'd ever met.

"Thanks again for the candy." She called out as she continued forward toward her destination. I followed, no longer concerned about her seeing me. She was completely oblivious to the fact I was her tail. If I was being honest with myself though, I was following her more for my own reasons rather for the mission.

"Where are you going?" she asked, spinning around to face me, having just realized I had no intent on leaving her presence.

"I thought we were going to meet your teacher in the Wonderful World of Oz." I told her, lacing my voice with innocence.

"We?"

"Sure," I said, "I'm going with you."

"No, you're not," she huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest; probably in an attempt to look intimidating. I thought she looked adorable.

"Look," I said, putting authority in my voice. "It's dark. You're by yourself. And this is D.C. And you've got … fifteen minutes to meet your teacher." I knew I was off by 90 seconds but I figured most normal boys don't know the exact time every moment of the day.

"Fine." She sighed and bean walking again. I followed but refrained from conversation; she looked like she was thinking about something really hard and I didn't want to disturb. What I really wanted was to be in her brain and know what she was thinking, but not only was that impossible, it was wrong.

"You walk fast," I commented after a couple of minutes. The silence had finally gotten on my nerves. She seemed to ignore me so I pushed harder. "So do you have a name?"

"Sure, lots of them." She told me. I smiled; it was probably the most truthful thing she'd me since we'd met.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked, wondering of she would mention Jimmy to me. I was very curious.

"Look, thanks for the chivalry and all but it really isn't necessary." She muttered. "It's just up there." She pointed to the museum of American History. "And there's a cop over there."

"What," I said looking at the D.C. officer with the pot belly and a jelly donut stain on his shirt. "You think that guy can do a better job protecting you than I can?"

"No, I think that if you don't leave me alone, I can scream and that cop will arrest you."

I smiled at her and stepped away a little, knowing what she said was a joke. But I knew if I continued to follow after, right behind her, she'd get suspicious and I couldn't afford that. So I began to walk away knowing that whatever she did didn't matter. I knew where she was going and at this point, there was nowhere for her to go that I wouldn't be able to follow. She was going to fail her mission. And I was going to be the one to make her fail.

I followed my Gallagher Girl through the museum; blending I watched her go up the stairwell – making her way to the third floor. I hopped in the elevator and made my way up. When the doors opened I saw Joe, after many years and I smiled. He smiled back then turned to address Cam who had just arrived. I blended into the shadows so she wouldn't se me just yet.

"You're four seconds late." Solomon told her as she approached with a small smile on her face. She though she'd won.

"No Ms. Morgan, you're not." He smiled and I stepped out of the shadows and smiled as well.

"Hi again, Gallagher Girl."


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, so I haven't updated in over a year, and I'm sorry for that. I have no excuse. So, here's another chapter, hope you like it! **

**Don't own. **

"Hi Blackthorne Boy." My Gallagher Girl looked at me smugly throwing my smirk back in my face. How did she know!? I hadn't found out about her school until this morning.

"Very good Ms. Morgan." Joe said to her, and I'm sure I was the only person in the world who could tell he was just as shocked at her outburst as I was. "But not good enough."

The smile on Cam's face dropped and her cheeks turned tomato red. I thought it was both cute and endearing. Which made me want to shoot myself in the head. My smirk came back in full force when she realized I had bested her. She was good but she wasn't quite as good as me. Not yet at least.

I was still having trouble, however, with the fact that she knew about my school. Obviously my Gallagher Girl was more resourceful than I had thought.

"Your mission was what?" she asked me. "To keep us from achieving our mission?"

I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say _Wasn't it obvious_, which I mean, it kind of should have been.

In a teasing tone I said, "I thought I could make you late for your meeting, I didn't think you'd actually tell me where you were going and walk me halfway there."

I couldn't help but poke fun at her a little. But her saddened expression brought me down more then it probably should have. Truth was, if she hadn't hung around her friend all day, this meeting would have gone a lot different.

She was watching me when a group of tourists wandered into the shoe exhibit. I saw her get jostled a bit and then Solomon put his arm around her and lead her away. I blended back in the shadows and almost missed her look back at the spot I'd been in. It made me smile.

I really hoped I'd be seeing my Gallagher Girl again.

GGBBGGBBGGBBGGBBGGBBGGBB

How weird was the helicopter ride home? Let me count the way:

To try and keep tabs on two of the girls, two of our guys had put on I Heart DC shirts and were wearing matching baseball caps.

Another one of the guys had accidently bumped into an old lady and was icing a large bruise on his arm that he'd gotten when she beat him with her purse.

And Grant and Jonas were gossiping like girls. I think I even heard Grant giggle! The man was not a giggler. A hearty chuckle or laugh here and there but no giggling. He still had a dreamy look in his eyes too, which led me to believe he wouldn't be forgetting Rebecca anytime soon.

We watched as the Washington Monument faded into the dark night while the helicopter rose, carrying us back to Blackthorne.

There were a lot of questions and theories. After all, it wasn't everyday you learned there was a girl school for spies. But I just let all the other guys talk while I sat back and thought about my Gallagher Girl.

I knew it was stupid of me to get caught up on a girl, but she wasn't just any girl. She was a Gallagher Girl, and she was mine. And she was the only person I could see ever beating me at my own game.

I felt the helicopter touch down and I knew we were back. Dr. Steve opened the door and ushered us out.

"Good job today," was all he said, before leading us back to our rooms.

GGBBGGBBGGBBGGBBGGBBGGBB

That night at dinner everyone was talking about our field trip. And coming from a school where the most that's said in the cafeteria is "pass the potatoes" that's saying something.

"You really saw some?" A kid probably three grades below us asked. "They really exist?"

"They're not unicorns." Grant said, looking at the kid like was stupid. And he kind of was in my opinion.

"No," I said, picturing dirty blond hair and intense blue green eyes. "They're girls, and they're good." After that, no one said anything else.

When Grant, Jonas, and I got back to our rooms we sat down and talked. It was something we only did on rare occasions; I'm talking like twice a year. It took me a long time to be able to trust both of them, but we'd been roommates since we'd started here and I thought of them as brothers. I knew they'd never betray me.

"I can't believe you actually got to talk to her." Grant said "And I can't believe she actually told you where she was going."

"Neither can I," Jonas piped in, "she can't be that bad of a spy."

"She's not." I said, and that was high praise coming from me.

"So," Jonas said, his voice getting squeaky, "how hot was she?"

"Does that matter?" I asked. Of course it did, but I didn't want to admit how attractive I'd actually found her.

Grant nodded. "She was cute."

"Guys, her looks are beside the point." I told them. Not true but they didn't need to know that. "She's good, really good."

"Is that a bad thing?" Grant asked.

I thought about my Gallagher Girl and all the feeling that had washed through me as I watched her today. She was a natural; I'd said that, just like I was a natural. If we could be allies, if we were a team, we'd be unstoppable. But there were no guarantees. There never were in this line of work. And that was dangerous.

"I don't know."

There was a knock on the door, which halted our conversation. Dr. Steve poked his head in.

"Come on guys, we're going for another trip."

"What do you think it is this time?" Grant whispered in my ear as Dr. Steve looked at us expectantly.

"Round two."


	5. Chapter 5

**So, another chapter! Woohoo I'm on a role. I don't really adhere by a schedule for updating but I plan on updating way more regularly now. And I do mean MUCH more regularly. **

**And in case you guys haven't noticed my chapters coincide with the chapters in the book. So I started Ch. 1 with Ch. 7 in the book so this chapter is Ch. 11 in the book. That's why some of these chapters are short, because the ones in the book are relatively short as well. **

**Hope you enjoy! Don't own. **

We were loaded once again into a helicopter but luckily, this time, no blindfolds. Once we were all seated we were finally told our destination. The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women.

You heard that right, _women. _And we were going to be living with them. For a whole semester. I would be living with my Gallagher Girl. Awesome.

We didn't get a chance to anything but apparently we would be receiving clothes when we arrived. That was probably for the best anyway. Our uniforms weren't nearly as cute as the plaid skirt of Gallagher.

When we landed on the school's property Joe greeted us. He gave me a small smile before leading our group to our new living quarters. We were given twenty minutes to freshen up before we were to be released upon the female population. And I, for one, couldn't wait. Neither could Grant it seemed.

"Dude this is going to be epic!" He shouted.

"Calm down bug guy," Jonas said smiling. It was funny to see Grant get excited about something. It didn't happen often.

"Why aren't you guys getting more excited?" he asked.

"Why should we?" I questioned. I mean of course, I _was_ excited, I got to go to school for an entire semester with one Cameron Morgan but I wasn't about to squeal like a little girl about it. I was much more suave than that. Grant wasn't.

"Um, because there are like a hundred sexually repressed girls here and fifteen guys. You do the math." Seriously, his voice had taken on a squeaky quality due to his excitement.

"We're here to learn Grant, not break hearts." Ah, Jonas, the voice of reason.

"What would you do if Rebecca think if she heard you right now?" I taunted.

Grant lost his smile very quickly and turned to glare at me. He was about to say something when Dr. Steve came in and told us it was time to go to breakfast.

As we approached the double doors of the cafeteria I knew Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women would never be the same again.

GGBBGGBBGGBBGGBBGGBBGGBB

Forks dropped. Heads turned. I fought the urge to laugh. The girls were gaping at us like we were yeti.

As spies you should be prepared for anything. Obviously, for these girls, that didn't extend to the arrival of boys. I smirked.

As we walked down the aisles of girls, the headmistress – who bore a striking resemblance to Cam – began speaking.

"That Gallagher Academy has a proud history…" I was pretty sure I was the only person listening to her.

"For more than a hundred years, this institution has remained secluded, but yesterday, some of your classmates were able to meet another set of exceptional students from another exceptional institution." More like get their butts kicked.

"Members of the Gallagher trustees, along with the board of directors from the Blackthorne Institute, have long thought that our students would have a lot to learn from each other. And this year we're going to see it happen."

The girl's reactions were hilarious. There only seemed to be two girls that were frozen in their spots like statues. My Gallagher Girl and a pretty black haired girl sitting next to her.

"When Gillian Gallagher was a girl, this hall had been home to balls and cotillions, friends and family, but it hasn't had many guests in the last century. I'm so glad today is an exception." All I could think about was twirling Cam around a decorated ball room.

The headmistress then stopped her speech and ushered Dr. Steve up to the podium. He actually waved and shook hands with the girls as if he were a gam show contestant headed to the stage to "win big."

"It's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Steve Sanders. Dr. Sanders…" She was cut off when the little man in question went up to the mic and said, "Dr. Steve."

"Excuse me?" The headmistress asked.

"Call me Dr. Steve," he said with a punch in the air. It took everything in me to no roll my eyes at his shenanigans, or show any emotion for that matter.

"Of course." The headmistress continues. "Dr. Steve and his students will be spending the remainder of the semester with us."

This statement caused a mummer to run through the female population. "They will be attending your classes, eating with you at meals."

Lovely, I wondered what kind of curriculum they had Gallagher school for _women._ T certainly wasn't going to be anything like what we were taught at Blackthorne. Of that, I was positive.

"Ladies, this is a wonderful opportunity. And I hope you will all use this time to forge bonds of friendship that you carry throughout your lives."

"I wouldn't mind being bonded to him," I heard a girl say, gesturing to me. I laughed quietly in my head. That girl had as much of a chance with me, as Dr. Steve had with the headmistress. Not there was only one girl here I wanted to be bonded to.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the head of the table.

Then I smiled at her.

My Gallagher Girl.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I know it's been a while since I've updated but I'm kinda just doing it when I feel. But I do make a promise that I will finish this FanFic. **

**I had planned to do all the books starting from this one and I still want to but I'll have to see how busy I am. But I will finish this one.**

After breakfast Dr. Steve took us back to our rooms so we could get ready for class. We didn't have any materials, we were just supposed to go and observe. It seemed kind of boring to me until Dr. Steve informed us that we would all be receiving a Gallagher Girl to shadow. That perked me up. I would make sure Cam was my shadow.

Since the fifteen of us who came here ranged in grade level we were split up. Luckily, Grant, Jonas, and I were all sophomores so we would be attending first period together.

As soon as we were ready Dr. Steve led us from our rooms down a series of hallways until we reached what appeared to be a classroom. I hoped my Gallagher Girl was behind that door.

"Remember boys, try and get to know the girls and be on your best behavior. Blackthorne chose you as delegates for a reason." It was the most serious thing Dr. Steve had ever said to us; so we figured we'd better listen. Pus none of us wanted to be punished…Blackthorne would be a really cruel place at times.

We shook our heads in agreement and just like that our wacky teacher was back.

Dr. Steve knocked on the door twice before opening it. As soon as he barged in, we followed, interrupting the teacher's lecture.

"Good morning ladies." Dr. Steve exclaimed, and I had to fight to roll my eyes. I seriously couldn't understand where that man got his exuberance from.

My eyes glanced over the occupants of the room until I found my Gallagher Girl. She was sitting in front of Grant's exotic beauty, slouching down as though she wanted to disappear. I smirked. _There's no escaping me Gallagher Girl_ I thought.

"Can I help you Dr. Sanders?" the teacher, who – by the nameplate on the desk – I assumed to be Mr. Smith, asked.

Dr. Steve just looked at him and held one hand in the air as if he were trying to put his finger on something.

"I say, your voice sounds so familiar." He finally said. "Have we met before?"

"No," Mr. Smith said, his voice chillingly cold. "I'm sure we haven't."

I could tell Mr. Smith had no patience for Dr. Steve. A trait that he and I shared.

"Never did any work at the Andover Institute, did you?"

"No," Mr. Smith said before going back to the board; a silent and subtle gesture indicating he wanted to get back to his lecture. Too bad Dr. Steve didn't pick up on subtlety.

"Oh well," Dr. Steve said with a laugh before pointing to Grant, Jonas, and me. "Shall we have the boys introduce themselves?"

"I have learned Dr. Sanders – "

"Steve," Dr. Steve corrected, but Mr. Smith kept on going.

" – That ours is an occupation where names are – at beast – temporary." _Woah_ I thought, this guy is hardcore. So far Mr. Smith was my favorite adult her at Gallagher. Besides Joe of course. "But if they must…"

Jonas stepped forward, awkwardly tugging on his tie.

"Um…I'm Jonas, I'm sixteen. I'm a sophomore."

"Thus your enrollment in this class." Mr. Smith said drily. "Welcome, Jonas. Please have a seat."

"Excellent job Jonas," Dr. Steve said, rather exaggeratedly. Jonas was no "excellent" in any social situation. The place he shined was behind a computer screen.

"Excellent job. Now, Jonas here is on he research track of study. I don't suppose any of you young ladies could show Jonas around?"

"Humph!" Came from a small girl sitting by Cam and Grant's exotic beauty. I wondered if that girl and Cam were friends. it looked that way.

Dr. Steve pointed at her and shouted, "Excellent." _It would be excellent if you shut up _I thought.

"Jonas, you will spend tat day with Ms.…"

"Sutton," she replied. "Liz Sutton."

Jonas went to sit next to Liz, who looked just as awkward as he did. They were perfect for each other.

"Excellent," Dr. Steve said again. "Now Grant, if you would – "

"I'm Grant," he said, cutting Dr. Steve off. He gave me a wink before he went to sit next to his exotic beauty.

And then there was one.

Instead of waiting for Dr. Steve to introduce me, I walked over and sat next to my Gallagher Girl.

"I'm Zach, and I think I've found my guide."

I heard Dr. Steve faintly say, "Excellent," and I had to agree.

CMHZPOV

As soon as class was over Cam grabbed her books and started for the door. No way was she getting away from me that easily, so I got up quickly and followed her into the hall.

"So we meet again." Yes, I actually said that. Lame.

She didn't respond so I kept going, even though there were girls surrounding us coming from both directions.

"So this is the famous Gallagher Academy."

"Yes. This is the second floor corridor. Most of our classes are down this hall." I didn't care about all that though. I cared about her.

"And you're the famous Cammie Morgan."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds like she couldn't believe that I knew who she was. What can I say. Spy.

"Come on," she mumbled. "Culture and Assimilation is on the fourth floor."

"Woah." I said, having stopped following her. I couldn't help the mocking smile on my face. "Did you just say you're taking me to culture class?"

"Yes."

I grinned, full out this time. "Boy, when they say you've got the toughest curriculum in the world…they mean it."

I don't think she appreciated my comment since she looked at me like she wanted to push me down a flight of stairs but I didn't care. Because the look of annoyance on her face was adorable. And…my mind had officially turned into sentimental goo.

"Culture and Assimilation has been part of the Gallagher curriculum for more than a hundred years Zach."

We turned down a corridor to a tearoom, as she continued. "A Gallagher Girl can blend into any culture – any environment. Assimilation isn't a matter of social graces." She suddenly stopped. "It's a matter of life and death."

My Gallagher Girl kind of had a point, and maybe I would have conceded, but then I heard the teacher addressing the class.

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will be studying the art of…the dance!"

This class couldn't be more perfect I I'd planned it. Dancing with Cam sounded a lot better then having a tea party.

Then to run it in a little, I lent down and whispered in her ear, "Yeah…Life. And. Death."

CMHZPOV

When we walked into the classroom, all the furniture had been pushed to the sides and a very excited looking woman stood in the middle with a silk handkerchief.

"I have been saving this very special class for the arrival of our very special guests."

"Did you hear that?" I whispered to Cam. "I'm special."

"That's a matter of – " She started to say, but the teacher cut her off.

"Oh Cameron dear, would you and your friend like to demonstrate for the rest of the class.?"

I smiled when she said friend. I liked being considered Cam's friend even if it was by others and not her. It meant we were close, which I was starting to want more and more.

My Gallagher Girl looked like she wanted to disappear but the teacher pulled us to the center of the room. Then she turned to address me. "You must be Zachary Goode. Welcome to Gallagher Academy. Now, I must ask that you place your right hand firmly in the center of Cameron's lower back."

Man, did I love having my arm around Cam. She was warm and soft and felt like home, a foreign feeling to me.

"Okay, now. Everyone find a partner," the teacher instructed. "Yes, girls, some of you will have to take turns being the boy."

Cammie and I just stood there as we watched everyone pair up. I almost started laughing when I saw Jonas and his little shadow step on each other's feet at the same time.

"Ladies, you will pace your right hand firmly in your partners palm."

Cam put her hand in mine but it was tense, and when I looked at her face I saw a small fire brewing in her eyes. Suddenly her annoyance and refusal to hold conversation with me made sense. She was still angry about D.C.

"What's the matter, Gallagher Girl? You're not actually mad about yesterday are you?"

Before she could respond, the teacher started talking again. "Now, ladies and gentleman we will begin with the basic bow step. No, Rebecca, if you're going to dance with Grant, you must let him lead!"

This time I did let out a little laugh. Grant was an excellent dancer. If Bex was taking the lead then he was more entranced by his exotic beauty then I'd thought.

I turned my attention back to Cam and smiled at her, still not letting my epiphany go. "It was a cover, Gallagher Girl. An op. Maybe you're familiar with the concept." And from what I saw in D.C. I was sure she was.

But again before she could say anything the teacher pushed us close together.

"Hold your partner tightly." She said, which I had no problem doing.

And just like that, we were dancing.

**Hope you enjoyed it :) **

**L.**


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